Photo: Huwmanbeing (original), Yassie (jpeg conversion) · Public domainHow is Terre Haute run?
Terre Haute’s city government spent $59.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,028 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.7 million) and the airport ($2.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Terre Haute is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Vigo County School Corporation
Terre Haute’s K–12 school district, shared with Fayette Township, Harrison Township, Honey Creek Township, Linton Township, Lost Creek Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,304 per pupil, $7,142 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,028 per resident a year, or $2.82 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,129 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Terre Haute’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,129 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 34 Indiana cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,262, and the middle half spent $989–$1,490. Terre Haute spent less than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Indiana cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Terre Haute itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Terre Haute reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,129 · 2023: $1,119 · 2024: $1,028.
full-time in March 2025, up from 546 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,104 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.95% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Terre Haute’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Terre Haute’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Terre Haute →
Who’s in charge in Terre Haute
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Terre Haute’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on terrehaute.in.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 101 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (58,335).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Terre Haute.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: terrehaute.in.gov ↗
- 2Indiana HouseTerre Haute is split between 2 districts
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Terre Haute compares with the towns next door
Terre Haute spent $1,129 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $3 to $68. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Honey Creek Township | $3 | $1,689 |
| Sugar Creek Township | $68 | $1,107 |
| Harrison Township | estimate | $999 |
| Lost Creek Township | estimate | $2,142 |
| Terre Haute | $1,129 | $1,104 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Terre Haute’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Terre Haute’s government
How much does Terre Haute spend per resident?
About $1,028 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,129 was less than 65% of 34 Indiana cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Terre Haute?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,104 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.95% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see terrehaute.in.gov.
Who runs Terre Haute’s government?
See terrehaute.in.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Terre Haute yet.
How many people work for Terre Haute?
576 full-time and 113 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.5M (about $42.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Terre Haute in the state legislature?
Terre Haute is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 38 (Greg Goode). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Terre Haute’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →